Two foreign nationals were arrested during Operation Vala Umgodi in Sabie on Friday. A 32-year-old undocumented person from Mozambique was arrested after Police searched a vehicle he was in. Nothing was found inside the car but when members searched the man, they found a plastic bag with suspected gold bearing material. Meanwhile another male suspect, aged 41 from Lesotho was also arrested for illegal possession of suspected gold bearing soil in Sabie.

It was during this time when they were arrested and charged for illegal possession of suspected gold bearing material.

The investigators are working in collaboration with the Department of Home Affairs to ascertain the status of the two foreign nationals and at this stage, Police cannot rule out the possibility of charging them with contravention of the Immigration Act of South Africa as the investigation continues.

The Provincial Commissioner of the SAPS in Mpumalanga Lieutenant General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela has noted the impact made by Operation Vala Umgodi in the province. “Operation Vala Umgodi seeks to eliminate illegal mining and from where we stand, there has been good results achieved by the team. We encourage various disciplines to continue with dismantling illegal mining  ” said the General.